RecipeCart Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 18, 2026

RecipeCart helps you turn recipe ingredients into grocery cart items. This policy explains what data the extension and API handle.

What we collect

Stored locally on your device

Recipes you add or import
Favorite recipes and last shopping selection
Pantry exclusion list
Optional custom API URL
Last price comparison result
Onboarding and UI preferences (e.g. cart confirmation)

This data stays on your device unless you clear extension storage or uninstall.

Sent to the RecipeCart API

Recipe names, ingredients, servings, and steps you select
Pantry exclusions you configure
Recipe URLs or text you submit for import
Prefetch: when you select recipes in the browse view, the extension may send a shopping-list request in the background before you tap Shop, to speed up comparison

We do not collect your name, email, retailer account credentials, or payment information.

Analytics events

The extension may send anonymous usage events to our API (for example: shop completed, affiliate link opened, sponsored recipe attribution click). Events include coarse metadata such as store name and recipe count — not your identity.

Server logs

Our API may temporarily log client IP addresses for abuse prevention and rate limiting. Logs are not used to build user profiles.

AI providers

Recipe parsing and product matching use large language models (LLMs). Our API may route requests to Google Gemini, Groq, or OpenRouter depending on availability. Only recipe-related text you submit is sent to these providers — not your identity or retailer credentials.

Third-party services

Service	Purpose	Data shared
RecipeCart API (Vercel)	Merge, match, compare	Recipe content, pantry list
Google Gemini	AI parsing & matching (fallback)	Recipe text/ingredients
Groq	AI parsing & matching (primary)	Recipe text/ingredients
OpenRouter	AI parsing & matching (fallback)	Recipe text/ingredients
Upstash Redis	Rate limiting	Hashed request counters (no recipe content)
Amazon / Walmart / Kroger	Live prices & cart links	Search queries when you use those features

Affiliate relationships

RecipeCart participates in the Amazon Associates Program. When you add items to Amazon or open Amazon product links from the extension, URLs may include our affiliate tag. We may earn commissions on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. Walmart and Kroger links are not affiliate links.

Recipe images

Bundled recipe images are sourced from TheMealDB API.

Data retention

Local data remains until you clear it. API requests are processed in real time with short-lived server caching (about 30 minutes). Rate-limit counters expire automatically.

Security

The official extension build includes an API authentication token. Do not share modified builds. We use HTTPS and rate limiting to protect the service.

Children's privacy

RecipeCart is not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Contact

For privacy questions: nickvan23@gmail.com or the Chrome Web Store listing support contact.